ANDREW BONNEAU
Nine Aspects of the Goddess, 2021
Oil on linen, 86.7 x 111.5 cm
$ 13,500
AVAILABLE
ANDREW BONNEAU
Still life with Jaipur jug, apricots, and grapes, 2021
Oil on board, 30.2 x 40 cm
$ 3500
AVAILABLE
Andrew BONNEAU:
Pattern & Form
Recent paintings and drawings
2 - 26 March 2022
Metro Gallery presents Pattern & Form, an exhibition of recent paintings and drawings by Andrew Bonneau.
As you walk into a suburban home in Trinity Beach, north of Cairns, only the prior knowledge of Andrew Bonneau’s paintings can prepare you for the Wunderkammer that is the artist’s studio. Accessible through a non-descript door off the entry hallway, in a converted garage, it allows no daylight. Standing lights are fixed firmly in their place, bathing with steady beams carefully arranged displays of Andrew’s future creations, from single-object meditations to complex multi-figure compositions.
The control of the light source, the stillness, and the timelessness are imperative to Andrew’s creative process. The mutable nature of daylight shifts the shadows and alters however subtly the silhouettes, highlights, saturation, and subtle hues of studied objects. Andrew’s art is not about chasing shadows. It is about a careful and meditative study of single objects, which then, and only then, are allowed to be incorporated into more complex compositions.
The walls of the studio are lined with shelves, teaming with objects and curios from the paintings past, present, and future. Whether collected on his international travels, or gifted by family and friends, they are a microcosm of Andrew’s existence. The plaster casts from the celebrated antique prototypes or the Renaissance masters reflect Andrew’s ongoing exploration of the Old Master techniques as well as his studies at the British Academy in Rome. Numerous statuettes and ceramics from India and South-East Asia illustrate the conspicuous presence of his partner, an Indian-born fashion designer. The carefully folded swathes of silk, intricately patterned and luminous with iridescent glow, sourced by her from India, are spirited by Andrew, furtively, from her in-house atelier across the entrance hallway. The middle eastern ceramics reflect his parents’ frequent sojourns in the Gulf and Northern African states. His own native region of Cairns in tropical Queensland is reflected by the abundance of shells, plumage of local birds, and the bountiful fruit, flowers, and foliage of the local flora.
Gradually, the gathered objects make their appearance in Andrew’s compositions. Initially, each and every curio in turn becomes the subject of intense scrutiny and minute observation. In pencil on paper or in oils on small panels, Andrew studies silhouettes and outlines, the bumps and the hollows, the local colour combinations, the shadows they cast and the nuances they present when seen from a variety of angles.
Only then, they are grouped by Andrew in more complex, multi-figure compositions. Initially, in groups of three or four, and then in more complex displays and combinations, these objects begin a silent dialogue with their ‘neighbours’, imparting hidden meanings, subtle allusions, and unexpected connotations.
No single inch of the painted surface is left untouched. Pigments bounce gracefully across the picture plane. The vibrant silks and tapestries inject a sensation of flow and movement. Period screens and vintage wallpapers enhance the illusory depths of the paintings and add immeasurably to the overall patterning of the gathered forms.
The Artist’s Statement
These paintings reflect my various aesthetic interests over the last couple of years.
The relationship between pattern and form has been an ongoing interest of mine for as long as I can remember, and the still life genre seems highly suitable to its exploration. By paying attention to objects, the painter can bring forth the truth of the object, not only how it looks. There is a process of comprehension that happens, bringing forth its quality. The paintings are all done directly from life. Light, shade, atmosphere, texture, colour all become one, as paint.
It’s not just subjective sense perception that is involved, but that there is an internal structure and autonomy of the object that I’m seeking. The process of rendering it in paint is analogous to the soul animating the body. Likewise, pattern suggests a continuous existence of flowing energy, conditioned by the particulars of form, light effect and placement to the viewer.
The subjects of these paintings are not the typical fruit, vegetables, domestic items. My focus has rather been on the handmade art object. Figurines, ceramics, fabrics and the like have held more appeal to me. Some paintings have symbolic elements while some are about the aesthetic revelation of form through light.
About the Artist
Painter, draughtsman, and teacher, Andrew Bonneau studied in Sydney at the National Art School and Julian Ashton Art School, as well as privately under the tutelage of Charlie Sheard. He honed his craft and perfected his skills at the Grand Central Academy of Art in New York and the British Academy in Rome.
Andrew was a finalist in numerous prestigious art awards and prizes, including the Archibald Prize (2017), Perc Tucker Portrait Prize (2014, 2017), Moran Portrait Prize (2013, 2015), Black Swan Portrait Prize (2014-15), Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize (2014), and others. Andrew’s works reside at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, selected regional and tertiary collections, as well as corporate and private collections in Australia and abroad.
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